Life After Conclusion
by SoftRogue
Summary: After their final battle, the Senshi are each left to find their own paths in life. A Sailor Moon multi-corssover fic.
1. Chapter the First: Dying Liquid Mirage

Life After Conclusion

Chapter One:  
Dying Liquid Mirage

a King of Fighters/Sailor Moon/Ranma 1/2 Fanfic  
by SoftRogue

Disclaimer:  
King of Fighters is the property of SNK  
Ranma 1/2 is the property of Rumiko Takahashi  
Sailor Moon is the property of Naoko Takeuchi  
and...my soul is now the property of the Devil.

* * *

Taking a deep, shuttering breath, Ami Mizuno leaned forward on the couch she was sitting on and placed her elbows on her knees. Resting her head in her hands, she closed her eyes and listened. The room she was in was made of reinforced concrete and deep within the sprawling complex, yet she could _still_ hear and feel the reverberations from the crowd above. Not surprising, really, when one stopped to consider what was about to happen.

But still...would she be good enough? Was she ready? This was crazy...no; this was _insane!_ She started to take deep, frenzied breaths as she began to feel the beginning of a panic attack. Sure, she had had some training, but she wasn't ready...not for this! What would the others say? It's been nearly three years since they had last seen her and she _knew_ they would be watching and when they saw her...

Suddenly, a gentle hand was placed on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Ami-chan. You'll do great!"

Looking up at the source of the confident voice, Ami met the cocky grin and heart stopping crystal blue eyes if her friend, her teammate, her...lover. "Thank you, Ranma." she said demurely, a slight blush on her cheeks.

Another presence made itself known as second hand fell on her other shoulder and gave a quick, reassuring squeeze. Looking behind the couch, she met the eyes of the other person in the room. A man of few words, he nodded slightly with a small smile on his face. A rush of warmth filled her as she smiled gratefully. He didn't say much, preferring action to words, but she knew he was proud of her. Ami knew he cared a great deal for her, as she did for him, and he was the reason she had found herself here.

After all, he _was_ her father.

It was a surprise to her when Ami found out the truth about her parentage. It was nearly three years ago when her powers...well, her _other_ powers...began to manifest and her mother, Naomi, told her the truth about her real father. It had all started about twenty years ago, shortly after Naomi had graduated from Med-School, when she had come across the scene of what looked like a gas main explosion. Her training kicking in, Naomi searched for survivors in order to help.

She had quite literally stumbled upon the man who was to become Ami's father. The state she had found him in had made Naomi's heart sink; he looked as if he was at ground zero of the explosion. He was battered, bleeding, severally burned and she could clearly see broken bones jutting from his body. Gathering her nerve, Naomi moved to search for a pulse when her hand was suddenly stopped by an almost bone-crushing grip. Completely startled, she had almost missed the demand to know who she was. Looking down the man before her, she met his hard, cold eyes and explained in a shaky voice that she was a doctor and she was there to help.

Moments passed before he finally relaxed his grip and told her, in no uncertain terms, that she wasn't to take him to a hospital before he passed out. Her mother told Ami that she wasn't to sure why at the time, but she conceded to his wishes and half carried/half dragged him to her nearby apartment; being careful of his wounds. Once there, she was able to remove his clothing and begin to attend to his many wounds only, to her utter amazement, to see them literally heal before her eyes.

For several days Naomi tended to him, paying most attention to his numerous broken bones while he remained unconscious. While it became obvious that he was healing at an incredible rate, it was also apparent that his body wasn't able to heal correctly if the bones weren't set right. Twice during those first days she had to re-brake several bones in order to set them correctly. It was also during that time Naomi had discovered his identity. It wasn't all that difficult; although he didn't have any identification on him, he was rather famous (or infamous depending on how you looked at it). After all, _everyone_ knew about the King of Fighters Tournament.

After four days had passed he had finally awoke and he insisted that he was fit enough to leave. Her mother had laughed as she described to Ami how she had berated and bullied him into staying until he was fit. After he collapsed several times, he had finally conceded to staying until he was strong enough to leave on his own two feet. So, for the next few weeks, Naomi nursed him back to health. It didn't take long for her to find out what had happened; he had made many enemies over the years and one of them had finally caught up with him. He had won, of course, but nearly at the cost of his own life.

It was during those weeks that Naomi had come to see a side of him that few people knew. Behind his diamond hard façade and laser sharp determination there was (apparently) a kind, caring, and honorable person...and Naomi had fallen in love with him.

Ami didn't need her genius intellect to know what happened next. In fact, much to her horror, she could visualize what happened. Which is something she didn't _want_ to know. While the actual process is (as she has recently learned for herself) _quite_ enjoyable, that fact that this was her parents..._ew!_

Eventually, with great reluctance, her father had to leave. Naomi; being nearly as smart as her daughter; realized that it would inevitable happen. There were too many people after him and many of his enemies wouldn't hesitate at striking at her. With a heavy heart, they bid goodbye to each other, neither knowing about the life growing within Naomi.

Not long after, her parents informed Naomi that she would marry a painter of some repute. An arranged marriage that had been agreed upon from before she was born. With the heartache left by Ami's father, Naomi reluctantly acceded to the marriage and, on the very day of the ceremony itself, she discovered that she was pregnant.

Nobody except Naomi and Sanosuke; the man that Ami had thought was her biological father for the first sixteen years of her life; knew that Ami was _not_ Sanosuke's child. Looking back, Ami knew for a fact that he had never held the truth against her and had loved her as his own flesh and blood. However, according to her mother, the fact that the two of them were unable to conceive a child of their own was one of the many problems that had put a strain on their relationship that eventually let to their divorce.

Blissfully unaware of her true birthright (or one of them, at least), Ami had grown up as an extremely intelligent, if shy, girl. Until, that is, that fateful day when a certain odango haired blonde had attempted to befriend her in order to help with her abysmal grades.

"Ami-chan? Are you there?" Ranma interrupted her thoughts gently.

"Just thinking..." Ami replied, reaching over and patted the pig-tailed martial artists' cheek. "Excuse me a moment."

Making her way to the bathroom in the suite, Ami turned on the faucet and splashed her face with water. Turning to look at herself in a full-length mirror, she hardly recognized the person that was reflected back at her. She had changed much since she left Juuban to find her father. Still small in stature, she had filled out considerably in the past three years. While nowhere as...er, talented as Makoto had been, she _had_ gained a bust size or two. Her lithe and toned muscles, once suited for a swimmer's build, were now more suited to a gymnast. Her azure hair, once kept extremely short, was now nearly shoulder length and her bangs easly falling past her eyes.

Taking a moment to check her clothing, she smiled at the thought of how...risqué her dress was, especially considering how she use to dress. A black halter-top was underneath a royal blue buttoned down Oxford shirt that was left undone and tied at her midriff with the sleeves ripped off halfway between her shoulders and elbows. She was wearing black hiking shoes and her legs were covered in tights the same color as the shirt while a black, thigh-length skirt finished the ensemble. All in all, the image she presented was...intimidating...dangerous; something Ami would never consider would ever be attributed to her. The only thing missing was...no, she wasn't ready for that, not yet.

Looking back into the room, Ami suppressed a giggle. Lying on the couch was Ranma, snoring softly. She remembered fondly how the two of them met and, surprisingly, how they became so important to each other.

It was two years (or three...it became confusing sometimes) after Ami had first met Usagi Tsukino and had become Sailor Mercury. Along with the rest of her friends and fellow Senshi, she had fought all the enemies that came their way; from the Dark Kingdom to Galaxia; Ami had faced them all with her inner strength, determination, and intellect, all the while trying to help Usagi keep her grades up. However, once things settled down, something began to..._change_ within Ami.

It started slowly, so slowly in fact that she couldn't pinpoint exactly _when_ it started. Little things that before were mere annoyance that she was able to brush off began to bother her more and more. There was an anger that she could literally feel began to tighten deep within her stomach. She threw herself into swimming and buried herself in her studies in order to push back the anger and it worked...for a little while anyway. Eventually, though, that anger exploded out of her, with violent results.

It happened during one of the many study sessions held at the Hikawa Shrine. Usagi accidentally spilled juice over a report Ami had been working for over a month and Ami had just...snapped. One moment, she was looking at her paper in horror, the next moment she was on her back. Above her, Rei and Makoto were forcibly holding her down calling her name and begging her to snap out of it. Looking around, Ami took note of her surroundings; Makoto's left eye had swollen shut and Rei was bleeding from a split lip. The table they had all been sitting at a moment had been reduced to splinters and paper was scattered everywhere. Minako was standing defensively in the center of the room looking as if she was preparing to transform into Sailor Venus while past her; was Usagi.

Usagi Tsukino; her best friend, her team mate, her Princess and future Queen; was huddled in a corner babbling in terror while tears ran down her cheeks. Somehow, Ami bolted from the Shrine, made her way home, and locked herself in the bathroom where she threw up repeatedly. Eventually, she made her way to her room, disgust filling her, and heard the familiar sound of her communicator. Gathering up her courage, she turned it on to hear the voices of her friends.

They forgave her, of course, and were worried for her. Usagi apologized profusely while the others wanted to make sure Ami was all right. Eventually, she turned the communicator off, unable to talk to them. She couldn't tell them that, while restrained on the Shrine floor, a part of her wanted nothing more than to shake off Rei and Makoto, push Minako to the side, and tear Usagi limb from limb.

She couldn't tell them that part of her _enjoyed_ that thought.

With her mother away at a conference, Ami skipped the next few days of school (something she had _never_ done voluntary before) ignoring her communicator, the phone and the doorbell. Eventually, though, her mother came back and had apparently been contacted by the others and she tried to talk to her daughter. In a fit of rage, Ami yelled at her mother; telling her to leave her alone.

And that was when her fathers' birthright manifested itself for the first time.

Eventually, Naomi was able to calm her panicking daughter down and told her the truth about her real father. She explained everything to Ami about how the two had met, what happened between them, why he left and how neither knew that Naomi was pregnant with her at the time...and how her father still didn't know about her. Since Ami never displayed any of the abilities that her father had, Naomi felt it would be safer for all that nobody ever knew the truth.

The analytical part of Ami understood where her mother was coming from. Everyone had heard about her biological father and she knew what could happen if the truth came out about her when she wasn't prepared. Ami also theorized that it was her own inborn abilities as the Senshi of Mercury that had suppressed the powers she had apparently inherited from her father.

Another part of her (a small part, mind you) did resent her mother for keeping the truth from her for such a long time. While she understood the reasons, it still stung to be lied to about something this important.

However she felt, thought, she did realize one important fact. What had happened to her these past several days were only the beginning of things to come. It wouldn't be long until something else happened to her that could endanger her mother and her friends. Ami knew what she had to do...

...she had to find her father.

That night, Ami made and followed through with her plan. She packed everything she thought she would need and, finding the bankcard to the account that held her collage tuition, she wrote two letters. The first was to her mother, explaining everything she could put into words. The strange, uncontrollable feelings that were beginning to take hold of her; the fear that, unless she got help, she would end up hurting those she cared for; that she was Sailor Mercury...

That was the hardest part. Ami had lied for over two years to her mother; but she felt that it was important to be completely honest with her. Ami told her everything she could remember that had happened and explained why it was so critical that her mother didn't tell the others why she had left.

The second letter was much harder to write, although it was much shorter that the one to her mother. It simply stated that she had to leave for a while and didn't know when she would be coming back. In the letter, Ami apologized for her actions and asked that they didn't try to find her. Finally, she slipped the Mercury Computer into the envelope with the letter to her friends and she almost added her Henshin wand, but couldn't bring herself to leave it behind. No matter how much she felt that she didn't deserve to be a Senshi because of her actions towards her Princess the other day, she couldn't bear being separated from something that was such an important part of her.

Unfortunately, it didn't take long for Ami to realize how utterly unprepared she was for the task she had set herself. Even with the information she had found using the Mercury Computer before she left it behind, there was very little data available about the whereabouts of her father. The few leads she did have fortunately pointed to the fact that he was somewhere in Japan. To make matters worse, she soon came to face to face with the ugly fact that, while she knew a lot of things, she had little knowledge of the 'real world'. A fact that nearly cost her her life.

Nearly a week and a half after she left home, Ami was suddenly grabbed from behind and pulled into a dark alley. She found herself being accosted by a group of thugs and, by the look in their eyes, she had no illusions about what they were planning to do to her. Feeling the anger building within her again, Ami reached for her Henshin wand; only to be struck across the back of the head. Fighting against unconsciousness, she struggled to stay awake and do _something_ when she heard an angry shout followed by the sounds of fighting. Finally looking up, she was startled to find herself looking deep into the most beautiful pair of crystal blue eyes she had ever seen before she passed out.

Upon awakening, Ami found herself in a strange camp. Panicking, she looked around until her rescuer appeared before her. Introducing himself only as Ranma, he proceeded to make sure she was physically unharmed. After making sure she was fine, he then made a series of comments that, had she not heard the underlining tone of worry and concern (and the fact that most of them were true) would have pissed her off something fierce. He was right, however, she needed to be more careful and she didn't know much about defending herself...but really, did he _have_ to come across as conceited as he did?

Of course, things got real strange for a few moments when a short, sudden rain storm struck changing Ranma from a very attractive boy with raven black hair tied back in a pigtail into a very attractive girl with red hair tied back in a pigtail.

For the next several days while Ami recovered, she slowly opened up to Ranma. For some reason, she found herself telling him everything (well...almost everything; he didn't need to know about he being a Senshi), including what she knew about her father. To this day, she still didn't know why she had told him, perhaps because something about him reminded her of Usagi; an innocence that was unmarred by all the pain they had been through.

He, in turn, also explained about his past; if rather vaguely. The curse, obviously, was the first thing he explained, stating in no uncertain terms that he was a guy no matter what. Ranma also explained; hesitantly mind you; that because of the many obligations (often contradictory to each other) that had been placed upon him by he had been forced to declare himself Ronin in order to ensure that all parties involved walked away with at least the semblance of their honor interacted. Not that that had apparently worked...it seemed that many people were still after him for a variety of reasons.

When she was healthy again, it was apparent that Ranma was reluctant to let Ami leave by herself. She was touched by his concern and she actually giggled at how he used child-like insults in order to try to anger and trick her into agreeing to let him accompany her. She finally agreed with one condition; that he teaches her how to fight and defend herself.

"It's time." her father's voice broke through her musings.

Ami met his eyes and saw several emotions flash through his gaze. This was the last chance she had to back down, to change her mind. The instant the three of them walked out the door together, there would be no turning back. She knew that if she didn't go through with it he would understand, this life wasn't for someone who wasn't ready to do what needed to be done.

With a deep, calming breath, Ami opened the door and stepped outside.

If she thought the sounds of the crowd was loud before, it was nothing compared to how it sounded as they walked through the halls towards the arena. To one side, Ranma strolled along, seeming without a care in the world. Hands clasped behind his head, he softly whistled a jaunty tune off-key as if he was taking a walk through the park; but Ami knew better. She knew Ranma was focused on what was about happen, his mind planning for every possible situation. He glanced over and gave her a quick wink and a grin that caused her to blush before he turned his attention forward again.

Her father, however, was a different story altogether. Unlike both Ami and Ranma, he had been here many times before and had walked away at the end as easly as he had walked in at the beginning. He moved with a deceptively slow gait, his body language seeming to scream danger. He exuded a feeling that said, in no uncertain terms, that the quickest point between A and B was a straight line...and pity anyone who got in his way. Ami now knew for certain what happened when the irresistible force met the immovable object...you got her father.

Ami remembered when she saw him for the first time...and it was nearly the last time she saw anything. She and Ranma had been traveling together for roughly six months when she had finally gotten reliable information as to her fathers' whereabouts. Under Ranma's strict teaching, Ami had actually made a quite a bit of progress during those months. Between the physical and mental training she had endured, she was fitter than she had ever been and she had actually achieved a measure of control over her fathers' legacy and was able to manifest it at will.

Before she had begun training with Ranma, she thought that he was merely good. However, once she saw him in action she realized that he belonged in a class of fighters that included only a handful of people, one that included people such as her father and his many rivals and few friends. Under his tutelage, she progressed by leaps and bounds; most likely due to the dual legacies she had. That along with the fact Ranma seemed to know the best ways to train her...or, as he put it, _'I know, exactly, what _not_ to do.'_

It was during this time that Ami noticed a curious phenomenon. Whenever she was able to, she learned everything she could about her father's past and his power and she slowly noticed that, during her training with Ranma, that the power she welded was, well...different. It didn't take her long to realize that, somehow, the abilities she had inherited from her father were _merging_ with her own powers as the Senshi of Ice. However, she didn't realize how different; or perhaps, how similar, her powers were to her fathers until shortly after they met.

Ami and Ranma had been traveling for several days in the mountainous outside of Kyoto, following the rumor that her father was somewhere in the area training. For some time, Ami had felt _something_ and knew, somehow, that they were close. What she didn't count on, though, was the fact that he could sense _her_ like she could sense _him._ When they found him, things didn't go anything like Ami had planned. Her father had recognized the power within her as something similar but different than his own and was able to see the potential threat that Ranma represented. So, he did the one thing he was taught how to do...he attacked.

While Ranma was very skilled and powerful in his right, it was nothing compared to the sheer brutality and relentless determination of her father and meant little in the long run. Ami, too stunned by the sudden attack, was only able to watch helplessly as her father and the person she had grown to care a great deal about fight each other with a ferocity she had never seen before. Ranma was able to hold his own for a short time, but it became increasingly obvious that her father had way more endurance that Ranma did and he was either ignoring or shrugging off the younger man's blows.

Reacting instinctually, Ami called forth her powers in an effort to help save Ranma. _That_ got her fathers attention...well, either that or the resulting explosion that rocked the countryside and left Ami feeling as weak as a new born kitten.

As Ami recovered from expending so much energy at once, she had the opportunity to speak to her father for the first time. It did take some time on her part to convince him that she was indeed his daughter, but he was eventually convinced and greeted his long-lost child emotionally...well, with as much emotion as he ever expressed.

It was obvious to him why she had searched him out. Without proper training, her power could easly destroy her from the inside out; as demonstrated by the state she was in after her little display. He was, however, extremely concerned as to why her abilities had manifested so late in her life and why they were so different than his own. So, making her decision, Ami told both Ranma and her father the truth. She told them about how she had become Sailor Mercury and, with the help of the other Senshi, she had fought off several threats to the Earth of a galactic scale. While both of them had dealt with quite a bit of strangeness in their life and were open minded about such things, they _were_ skeptical about what Ami was telling them. Until, that is, she pulled out her Henshin wand and transformed into Sailor Mercury for the first time since she had left Juuban. Their reactions, however, were not what she expected.

Ranma's reaction was what she was worried about the most. In the past six months they had grown very close and had a level of trust between them...a trust she had abused by keeping such a big secret from him. While both were awkward at expressing such personal emotions, it was obvious to Ami that they both cared a great deal about each other. Fearing the worst, she looked at Ranma and was surprised by what she saw. She was expecting either anger or betrayal from him; however, what she wasn't expecting was to see him sitting there with his eyes screwed shut, red faced with a small trickle of blood running from his nose while he repeated several words over and over like a mantra.

_'I'm not a pervert. I'm not a pervert. I'm _not_ a pervert!'_

Her father, however, was looking at her curiously with a raised eyebrow. Finally, he broke his silence by saying _'What the _hell_ are you wearing? Not even Mai would wear something like that!'_

From that day on, her training began in earnest. If Ami had thought that Ranma was a hard taskmaster, he was nothing compared to her father. His approach to training was physically brutal and mentally exhausting, never giving her a moment's rest until she pushed herself to her breaking point and beyond. Up until that point, she had kept the physical training and the practicing of her powers separately; but now her father demanded she incorporate both; learning to use her abilities and her growing fighting prowess together. It truth, if it weren't for Ranma's presence, the training she was going through would have been even more difficult than it was. His main strength was in his adaptability and ability to learn how to counter a wide variety of different styles. It became painfully obvious that Ami couldn't fully master her fathers' family art; she didn't have the right build to use many of the savagely brutal attacks. Ranma realized this early on and began to teach her a hodgepodge of techniques that he then showed her how to incorporate into what her father was teaching her. She later learned from him that many of the moves came from his own core style, called Anything Goes, along with the styles of Capoeria and Savate, and something he wouldn't elaborate on. Whenever Ami asked him about it, he would only mutter something about _'damn psycho amazons'._

However, as time went on, Ami started to become concerned. The fact was, even when she was Sailor Mercury, she shied away from fighting as much as possible. But now...now she was eagerly looking forward to mastering the next technique or waiting impatiently for the next sparring session. She found herself enjoying the feel of flesh striking flesh and longing for the rush that endorphins and adrenaline brought her.

And that, quite frankly, scared her.

Eventually, Ami gathered up her courage and talked to her father about her feelings. After listening to her he gave her a searching look and said one word.

_'Good.'_

It took Ami several days of soul-searching before she understood what that one word meant. At first, she feared that her father was _happy_ that she was enjoying the feelings that her powers and ability's brought her; but she easly dismissed that thought. In the time she had spent with him, Ami had learned to see her father in a way only a very few knew. She knew that he would never want anyone to follow the path his life has taken him. Eventually, she understood; in fact, it was so simple she was surprised that it didn't occur to her before.

As long as she feared what she could do, but didn't let that same fear consume her, she would be able to resist the temptations that her abilities presented her.

Those years weren't all spent in an endless cycle of training, however. Once her father learned that Ami was considered one of the top students in all of Japan, he insisted that she complete her education. So, between practices, Ami continued her studies...along with Ranma, who could protest more than Usagi and Minako combined. Eventually she was able to test out of High School with top marks (Ranma passed too...barely) and sent a copy of her scores home to her mother. She did feel guilty, though, since she hadn't written a single letter home or to her friends, but she knew that she wasn't able to face any of them until she was ready. She did know, however, that her mother was thinking about her often, as evident by the occasional deposit made into her bank account. Ami knew that her mother and friends were out there, waiting to welcome her home; and that thought made her train that much harder.

They moved around constantly, going from city to city, training ground to training ground. Occasionally, though, some of their moves were sudden and unplanned. It was by unspoken consent that all three of them had people in their pasts that they would prefer to avoid for a variety of reasons. The first time, surprisingly, was when Ami's father suddenly showed up at the boarding house they were staying at in Nagasaki and told them that they had to leave immediately...something about some crazy woman with an explosives fetish. Then there was that time outside of Ookayama that Ami knew, she _knew _fora _fact_ that Setsuna had spent over a minute looking directly at her. Of course, there were the times that Ranma would stumble into camp muttering something about stupid pandas, cross-dressing chefs or insane gymnasts.

Of course, there were time for other things besides studying and training. The relationship between Ami and Ranma slowly but surly progressed into something...more. Not that there weren't some snags along the way. There were a lot of things about Ranma's past that Ami didn't know about, but she found that she didn't care...although sometimes there were things that she was curious about. Like his reaction that time she accidentally walked in on him in the furo, or his extreme reaction to cats. The first time she had seen that one, she thought it was rather cute; but after seeing father's face after the two of them had a hushed conversation she decided to let that subject drop. Of course, there was that one 'private' training session that her father and Ranma had after he walked in on the two of them kissing; the fact that Ranma was unconscious for three days apparently had gotten her father's point across.

One day, however, everything changed. It had been nearly three years since Ami had left home, and she doubted that any of her friends would have recognized her and, while she was genuinely happy, she felt that something was missing...something she couldn't place. Arriving back at their camp before Ranma did after a particularly interesting...training session Ami found her father sitting by the fire absorbed in reading a letter.

After a bit of prodding and a liberal use of her 'puppy-dog-eyes' technique (which, for some reason, never failed to work) he told her that it was an invitation to the next King of Fighters Tournament. Suddenly, Ami knew what she was missing...a challenge. She knew that she was good, neither her father _or_ Ranma were people who gave such praise lightly, but...how good _was_ she? After spending so long learning from the two of them, she knew that the only way to know for sure was to fight people of their caliber.

To say that her father was surprised when Ami asked when they were leaving was an understatement. It took her some time to express fully how she felt; how she wanted to go, how she _needed_ to go. He eventually gave her a long, penetrating look before glancing at Ranma (who had arrived back at camp in time to figure out what was going on). He finally said that he was leaving the two of them for about two weeks and, when returned, he would have her answer.

Those two weeks were the tensest in Ami's life. She desperately wanted to try her skills out and find out exactly how good she was. Practically every waking hour of the following weeks were spent preparing for the slimmest possibility that her father would say yes. The day finally came and her father arrived on time, bearing two gifts. The first was that the three of them would participate together as a team. The second, she knew she would cherish forever. She had only tried it on once, before taking it off immediately and handing it back to him. Taking in her father's look of confusion, Ami had simply told him that she wasn't worthy of it yet...not until she had won her first victory.

He never told her where he went during those two weeks and she never asked; she had her suspicions, however. This year, the King of Fighters tournament was being hosted by none other that Geese Howard and, strangely enough, when her father arrived, he had a copy of the newly revised rules with him. According to the new rules, only one member on the team had to be officially named before the tournament began. The official reason for the new rule was to help attract lesser-known fighters to the tournament who would otherwise be scared off by the well-known and established fighters.

"And the rest, as they say, is history." Ami muttered under her breath.

Ranma looked at her curiously. "What was that?"

"Nothing...never mind." Ami replied with a small smile.

The three waited patiently as the announcer finished the opening ceremonies. The only thing Ami _didn't_ like about what was happening was that their team was in the first fight of the first round. No matter how much she has changed in the past three years, she _still_ didn't like to be the center of attention.

Finally, the opening ceremonies were finished and their team was called to the arena. Instantly, the crowd erupted into boos and jeers. She knew her father was disliked, but she never imagined this type or reaction! Taking her cue from both her father and Ranma, she did the best she could ignore the crowd and tried to focus her thoughts away from the mass of people.

Suddenly, Ami giggled softly. In her minds eye she could see her friends reactions to her name being call by the announcer. She knew Makoto was practically obsessed with the tournament and the fighters while Usagi and Minako were obsessed with the fighters for an entirely different reason altogether. Rei would most likely be dragged along and, knowing how much of a fighting enthusiast Haruka was, they were probably all be watching together at the Outers' home.

As they arrived at the ring, Ami's father gave her a curious look; most likely because of the giggle. She waived him off and turned her attention to the opposite side of the arena where the other team was being announced. The crowd erupted in cheers; mainly, Ami figured, because they didn't want her team to win.

The team they were facing had taken the name of The Young Blood Team and consisted of an eclectic group consisting of Shingo, Rock Howard, and an unknown like herself.

Well...perhaps not entirely unknown...

"RANMA! BECAUSE OF YOU I'VE SEEN HELL!! PREPARE TO DIE!!!"

"Ah, geeze. It's P-Chan." Ranma grumbled to himself before shouting across the ring "Ah stuff it, pig-boy!"

Shingo and Rock had to forcibly hold their teammate back and tried to calm him down. "Who is that?" Ami's father asked with the barest of interest.

"Who him? Ah, he's just P-Chan." Ranma said flippantly before elaborating a bit more seriously. "His name is Ryoga Hibiki. He's about as smart as a dumb seal on crack, not much of a threat really. Just stay out of his reach though, he's got a wicked punch and can soak up damage like a sponge."

Ami's father nodded once, the promptly dismissed the other team. Thinking about it, Ami could understand why; after all, that last part could also be used to describe him.

The first combatants were called into the ring and Ami stepped forward after receiving a squeeze on the shoulder from Ranma and a nod from her father. Coming to a stop in the center of the ring, she stood by the referee as she appraised her opponent.

Shingo extended his hand out to Ami and she took it lightly. "Lets have a good match, alright?" he said with a shy smile.

Returning his greeting with a nod, Ami retreated to her corner to await the start of the match as she tried to remember what her father told her about her opponent. _"Shingo is not to be underestimated." _he had said reluctantly, _"Compared to the majority of the fighters you'll be facing at the tournament he's a light weight. However, he does_ _have _some_ skill. He should be an easy victory for you if you were to face him as long as you remember the old saying 'The greatest swordsman does not fear the second greatest swordsman, he fears the worst'."_

"Ready..._FIGHT!"_

Ami immediately relaxed into her stance, a deceptively simple stance that was a mix of her fathers and Ranmas. Shingo regarded her for a moment before he smiled and rushed in with a flurry of kicks and punches. The next few moments Ami spent blocking and dodging the attacks, barely moving from her starting point.

She frowned as she blocked another kick. It was too easy. Ami couldn't figure out what Shingo was doing. He was either probing for a weakness or...he was taking it easy on her...

With narrowed eyes, she twisted her body to the left as a high kick sailed past her chest before grabbing the extended leg with both arms. Shingo was obviously surprised by Ami's sudden change in tactics...he was even more surprised when he found he couldn't move his leg. There wasn't any more time for him to be surprised as Ami launched three quick elbows with her right arm into his face.

Before the last elbow connected, Ami released the captured limb. The momentum of her elbow sent Shingo staggering back several paces and he only had enough time to look up to see Ami complete a spin kick that slammed into his chest.

Landing hard on the ground, Shingo tried to regain his footing. Looking around, he saw Ami rapidly approaching him; seeming to almost glide across the ground. A quick, claw-like fist hammered into his stomach, forcing him to double over. Gasping for breath, he felt something slam into his back and force him to the ground.

Acting on instinct, Shingo rolled away from Ami and heard a sudden _crack!_ Quickly recovering, he turned to see he was fortunate enough to have avoided a vicious knee to the back. However, he couldn't help noticing that the reinforced concrete floor of the ring now sported a small crater where Ami's knee had struck.

Rushing forward, he launched a quick snap-kick that connected with Ami's jaw, sending her flying back. Taking a moment to recover, he watched as the small girl rise to her feet and couldn't help noticing her eyes. He had faced many opponents like her before... incredibly fast, insanely strong, and had _that_ look in their eyes. But he knew that she couldn't be another one...after all, everyone would know if there was another one of _them!_

Meanwhile, Ami was enjoying herself tremendously. The taste of victory...the thrill of combat...the desire to rip Shingo apart piece by piece...blinking rapidly, she took a deep, calming breath and regained her center. She wasn't an animal; she wouldn't let her baser instincts take a hold of her.

Regaining control of herself, Ami moved in to quickly finish the match. Leaping into the air, she prepared to land a solid kick on Shingo. However, this time, she was the one who was surprised as he rose into the air to meet her and slammed an uppercut into her that was quickly followed by a mid-air throw that tossed her onto the ground flat on her back.

Shingo was all over her then, raining down blows on her prone body. A snarl escaped her lips as she rolled onto her stomach, planted both hands onto the ground under her, pushed up into a handstand and spun on her hands while her legs lashed out and landed several blows. Finishing her move, Ami raised up on one hand, twisted her body around, and rammed the heels of her feet onto Shingo's shoulders.

The momentum from her spin gone, Ami landed lightly in a crouch and looked over at her opponent. To her surprise, he had backed away from her and thrust a hand forward with a yell.

Both eyebrows rose as Ami saw a ki blast fly forward. "Father never told me he could do that." she mused before she grinned. "It's time."

Regaining her footing, Ami thrust both hands forward and let loose with a blast of her own that was accompanied by a _very_ familiar yell.

"YAMI BARAI!"

Both blasts connected in the center of the ring and cancelled each other out with a small explosion. Taking a quick moment to survey the results Ami glanced around the ring with satisfaction. The ground around the epicenter was coated in frost, the main difference between her father's power and her own. While her father's flame burned with a heat and intensity to rival any natural fire; her own did the exact opposite, a freezing flame that was as cold as her father's was hot. Despite the differences in their powers, it still _felt_ the same. And, as Ranma could testify, both burned worse than any normal fire.

To her surprise, Shingo was looking at her with horror as she saw his eyes flicker between her and where her father stood. It was only then that she realized that there wasn't a sound to be heard within the arena.

Turning to glance at her corner, she saw Ranma smiling at her with pride. Next to him, her father seemed to be shaking slightly. That's when she noticed the sound that slowly began to echo through the arena. It began as a soft chuckle but soon grew in volume until it became a full-blown laugh.

Her father was laughing.

Someone suddenly shouted out from the crowd and, if Ami had to guess, she would say that the voice sounded like Kyo Kusanagi. "DEAR GOD NO!! PLEASE, NOT _ANOTHER_ ONE OF _THEM!!!"_

Ignoring the crowd, Ami turned back to Shingo and saw him wearing a determined, yet shaky, look. "Let's finish this..." She said out loud and saw him answer with a nod.

The two fighters rushed forward; poised to strike. Shingo lashed out with a fast punch, only to see Ami duck underneath it and lash out in a quick succession of strikes to his ribs. Still crouching, Ami swept his legs out from underneath him, sending him falling forward. Quickly standing up, she grabbed his face tightly and reversed his momentum, slamming the back of his head into the concrete floor.

Blinking rapidly, Shingo looked up to see Ami poised above her, palms facing down towards his chest in what looked like a standing CPR position. He saw her grinning ironically as she whispered two words that he couldn't make out. Not that it mattered, he realized, as he doubted that he would hear what she would say next anyway. The only comfort he felt was the fact that he knew that it wouldn't hurt anymore once he lost consciousness.

_Boom! Boom! Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!_

"SHINE!!

_BOOM!!!!!!_

* * *

Authors notes:

Well...here we are, renaming the series and writing several more chapters and interludes for this idea that just wouldn't die. I don't know how far this will go, but I know that ideas for Ami (which is above), Makoto (forthcoming) and Minako keep coming to me, so I'll write as long as my muse will let me. I also am working on my other fics, but my muse keeps giving ideas for this little project while refusing to give out more that a little inspiration for my other fics...so, hopefully that'll be changing soon.

Until then...


	2. Chapter the Second: Verity of a Sapling

* * *

Life After Conclusion

Chapter Two:  
Verity of a Sapling

a R.O.D./Sailor Moon/Noir Fanfic  
by SoftRogue

Disclaimer:  
R.O.D. is the property of Taraku Uon  
Noir is the property of Ryoe Tsukimura  
Sailor Moon is the property of Naoko Takeuchi  
and...my soul is now the property of the Devil.

* * *

With a sigh of vexation, Makoto Kino laid the book she was reading down in her lap, careful not to lose her place. Rubbing her irritated eyes, she reached into a pocket on the inside of the bomber jacket she wore and pulled out a slim case. Staring at the case in annoyance, she opened it and removed a thin pair of reading glasses. Closing the case with a snap, she returned it to the pocket and opened the arms of the glasses before slipping them onto her face.

Taking a moment to tuck a strand of hair that had escaped her ever-present ponytail behind her ear, Makoto frowned in mild annoyance. As long as she could remember, she had always needed to wear reading glasses; but she had adamantly refused to wear them. Being taller, stronger, and more devloped than the other kids her age was hard enough; but having to deal with being called 'four-eyes' on top of everything else...lets just say children could be cruel enough as it was without any more prompting than absolutely necessary. However, her new job required doing a lot of reading, so the glasses had become a necessary evil in her opinion.

Picking the book up and quickly finding her place Makoto smiled slightly, if her friends only knew the truth. Well...the complete truth, that is. Everything she had told them about her job was, in the strictest sense of the word, the absolute truth. However, the tall brunette had found it necessary to...omit a few details. Not that she enjoyed the thought of lying to them, it was just better for all that they didn't know _all_ of the facts...that and if they knew the truth they would ask questions that she would inevitably be forced to answer.

And there were things about Makoto Kino that she didn't want _anybody_ to know.

Trying to focus on her book, the brunette soon found her thoughts wandering as they always did whenever she thought about her friends. Lowering her book slightly, Makoto looked around the room she was currently sitting in. Some would call it Late Victorian with it's plush chairs, large couches and low tables along with the sconce lamps and bookshelves filled with the many books that were the staple of her job. However, the presence of several high-tech devices, such as a monitor that took up a large section of one of the walls, stood out against the ambiance of the room.

Sighing again, Makoto found her bookmark and marked her place before closing the book and setting it off to the side. Reaching into another pocket of her jacket, she pulled out a pocket-watch and looked at the depiction on the lid before depressing the button on top and checking the time. Seeing she had plenty of time before she had to do anything, she listened to the haunting melody that flitted across her memories before she closed the watch with an angry snap. Makoto rose from the chair and moved over to one of the couches, stuffing the pocket-watch back into her jacket. Flopping down on the couch haphazardly, she laid back and sprawled across the comfortable leather; one leg on the floor, the other bent slightly on the cushions.

It had been nearly three years since she had seen all of her friends together, nearly three years since she had last seen Ami. It had been near the end of their junior year of high school and, as they had done many times in the past, the five close friends had gathered at the Hikawa Shrine in order to study for the upcoming finals. For several months leading up to that fateful day, Makoto and the others had seen their blue haired friend become more...withdrawn than she normally was and even become slightly snappish. While they had all become concerned, the four girls had decided that the blue-haired girls' change in attitude was a result of their impending tests. The temperament of their resident genius _did_ have a positive effect of the others, making all of them study for their finals with a dedication that many of them (i.e. Minako) had never shown before in an effort to avoid bothering Ami...all of them except Usagi.

Makoto remembered how, on that fateful day, she was immersed in her Geometry textbook as she tuned out the bickering Rei as she admonished Usagi (something they all had learned to do years ago). It was the priestesses startled yell that had finally pulled the brunette from her studies, only to look up and see a glass of juice spill across the table. Grabbing her textbook and notes and quickly moving them off the table, Makoto began trying to clean up the mess along with Minako and a frantic Usagi; who was apologizing a mile a minute; while Ami sat there with a stunned look as she regarded her ruined papers.

A loud snarl accompanied by a startled yelp were the only warnings Makoto had before the table was jerked out from underneath her. Looking up, the brunette was flabbergasted to see Ami; the shy, quite bookworm who always tried to avoid a physical confrontation; hefting the table above her head and, with a snarl, swing it downwards. Makoto saw a tangle of blonde and raven hair roll to one-side moments before the table slammed into the floor and shatter into pieces. Moving quickly, Makoto came up behind Ami and put a hand on her shoulder in order to try to calm her down; however, she never had the chance.

The instant the tall brunettes' hand touched the smaller girls' shoulder, Ami spun around and the last thing Makoto saw before her world went black was a small fist rocketing towards her. To this day, Makoto could _still_ feel the pain of the blow to her face and she didn't know which surprised her more; that someone had hit her hard enough to knock her out...or that Ami had hit her.

Makoto wasn't sure how long she was out, it couldn't have been more that a few moments; but when she came to, she saw Rei struggling to hold Ami back. Leaping to her feet, the brunette joined the priestess and the two of them wrestled the smaller girl to the ground. Eventually, Rei and Makoto were able to pin Ami to the floor and the two girls spent the next minute or so trying to reach the blue hair girl; Makoto could vividly remember the look in Ami's eyes, one moment an animalistic fury, the next utter confusion. That look quickly changed into dread as Ami once again displayed an uncanny strength for her small size and she shoved both Rei and Makoto off of her before she ran for the door.

The next few days were by far the most difficult that Makoto had experienced since she first met Usagi and the others. The brunette couldn't reconcile the fact that Ami; their quiet, shy, withdrawn friend; had attacked them with such viciousness. When the blue-haired girl refused to answer any calls that night and failed to show up for school the next, Makoto's confusion rapidly became concern. Usagi by far took the events that happened the worst; walking around zombie-like as she felt _she_ was the reason Ami had attacked her. Minako, meanwhile, was constantly wearing a pensive look; a far cry from her normal cheerful disposition; and no matter how hard she tried, Makoto couldn't hate the Senshi of Love for what she surly must have been thinking.

It was Rei, surprisingly enough, who kept a level head during those days. After the second day of not seeing or hearing from Ami, the priestess contacted the hospital her mother worked at and, finding that she was out of town at a conference Rei then called the hotel she was staying at. Mizuno-Sensei told Rei that she would be back in town the next day and would talk to her daughter the instant she got home. After waiting patiently for as long as she could, Rei went to the Mizuno's condo early in the morning the day after Mizuno-Sensei returned. However, when she arrived back at the shrine where the other three were waiting, they soon received a series of shocks that would soon change their lives forever.

The first, and by far the mildest, surprise was in the form of the four Outer Scouts; who had apparently met Rei at the steps leading up to the shrine. The second surprise was when, as soon as the door was closed, the priestess turned to face Setsuna and began yelling and screaming at her; accusing her of knowing what had happened and blaming her of not doing anything to stop it, all the while clenching a envelope in her hand. While the emerald haired woman stood their stoically, a confused Haruka asked what Rei was going on about and Minako told the Outers, in excruciating detail, what Ami had done the other day. When she was finished; Haruka, Michiru, and even young Hotaru began to express their feelings on what had happened and what they would do to the blue-haired girl when they saw her next.

They all were surprised again when Usagi, upon hearing what the two older girls and young girl wanted to do, snapped out of her funk for the first time in days and commanded them to not do anything to Ami. In the following stunned silence, their future Queen asked Rei what had happened at the Mizuno's.

When Rei opened the contents of the envelope and poured them onto the table, Makoto felt her heart skip a beat. Lying on top of a single piece of paper was the Mercury Computer; and the brunette knew without having to read the letter to know that Ami was gone.

As Usagi gently picked up the letter and read it out loud, Makoto had felt as if a part of her had died. For the past few years, the five of them had been together through thick and thin; no matter what kind of squabbles they might have had, they always knew that the others would be there if they were needed. But now...but now, Ami was gone. The only thing that the brunette was grateful for was that the Mercury Henshin wand wasn't there on the table; for it meant that there was still hope that the blue haired girl would return.

So caught up in her thoughts, Makoto almost missed their Princess asking Setsuna why Ami had left and why she hadn't done anything to prevent it. The Senshi of Pluto was quiet for a moment as she looked around the room, her crimson eyes looking at each and every one of them gravely before she responded.

_'Each and every one of you in this room is special. Not just because you've been reincarnated from the past, but because all of you carry two Destines. One of them is the duty of being Senshi and everything that entails; the other being the one each of you were born with. Sailor Mercury has, for the time being, discharged her burden and now Ami Mizuno must go and face her own fate.'_

That night back in her apartment, Makoto sat alone in silence. Deep in thought, she pondered the words that Setsuna had spoken. What path did was she, Makoto Kino, to walk along; what did the future hold in store for _her_...and what about her past? Finally, she unlocked a drawer in her desk and looked at the objects she had hidden there, wondering if they might hold the answers. Everyone knew the story the brunette had told about how her parents had died in a plane crash when she was twelve. However, what they didn't know was the story that she told them was the only thing she knew since she had no memory of her life before then.

The fact was, the very first memory Makoto had was when she awoke at a hospital. The doctors explained to her the best they could that, when she had been told that her parents had died in a plane crash, she fainted. She was eventually diagnosed Acute Traumatic Amnesia; a condition that, supposedly, effected a person who, when faced with a traumatic experience, subconsciously blocked any memory dealing with that experience. In other words, according to the doctors, a part of Makoto _wanted_ to forget about her parents so she didn't have to deal with the pain of losing them.

Not wanting to deal with the constant prodding and poking by doctors; Makoto left the hospital and, after finding her ID that listed her current address; she made her way 'home'. Once there, she found an apartment that, while was filled pictures of a happy family, seemed..._off_ somehow; as if everything had been placed there in order to make the place look lived in. She searched the apartment from top to bottom, finding many questions but few answers. Things such as a bank account that had her name on it, pictures of the happy family that seemed _too_ perfect, and...the desk drawer.

The objects in the drawer stirred something deep within Makoto, something...dark. They were more familiar to her than her own name; it was as if they were _a part_ of her. Like a sailor to the song of the siren, she was drawn to them, but at the same time, part of her felt a sickening loathing towards them.

Eventually, after handling the objects, she forced herself to move on and try to make sense the life that was Makoto Kino. From what she was able to glean, which surprisingly wasn't much, she was to start a new school in a few weeks so she did what she could do to prepare herself. Those weeks were spent trying to find out what she could about herself and she made several interesting discoveries. The first was she had a love of plants, and soon the apartment was filled with greenery of all kinds; for some reason she found that they soothed her. Another pleasant discovery was that she loved to cook; and found she had a skill in the kitchen that, even at such a young age, rivaled many adults...she was especially good at slicing and dicing. Eventually she started her new school, still without her memories, and it was there that she found she had another skill; one that brought that same feeling she had whenever she opened that drawer.

It was during lunch on that first day that, children being children, several of the playground bullies decided to have some 'fun' with the new girl. Surrounding her on the far corner of playground, a group of six boys taunted and teased her while she stood her ground for nearly five minutes before the biggest of them got bored and tried to knock her to the ground. Before he could touch her, however, she reached out, grabbed his wrist and twisted. The bully, surprised by the pain of the wristlock Makoto applied, fell to his knees and that was when she lashed out with a kick and knocked him out cold.

Before the bully hit the ground, Makoto was among the other five boys in what looked like a vicious brawl. In reality, the brunette was struggling within herself, a part of her wanting noting more to end the lives of the boys in front of her. Eventually, Makoto stood above the six boys breathing heavy from exertion; not physical...no, the fight had been almost effortless for her; but from the mental struggle to hold herself back. It was that day that she earned her reputation as a fighter and a trouble maker that followed her through two years and three schools until that fateful day when she started at Juuban Junior High school and met Usagi for the first time.

Makoto still had many unanswered questions about her family and the first twelve years of her life, and several puzzling riddles that were never solved until fairly recently. Never once in those years after she had woken up at the hospital had anyone ever come forward to ask about her parents or why someone at such a young age was living by herself. At first, she had assumed that she had simply fell through the cracks and no one discovered the error; however, after meeting Setsuna, Makoto decided that the Senshi of Time had influenced events so she would eventually end up in Juuban. Also, there were the periodic deposits to the bank account that, while weren't exorbitant by any means, were enough for her to live off of. According to the bank statements, they were from her parents' life insurance; yet there was no paperwork anywhere she could find that had information about such policies.

It wasn't until later in life that Makoto finally found those answers...and part of her wished she never had. Of course, ironically enough, it was all Ami's fault because it all started in a library.

Makoto was startled out of her musings when the door opened. Looking up; she saw a tall, stocky American with blonde hair wearing faded military fatigues enter the room and look around as he assessed everything there as if it might have been a threat.

"Makoto." he said with a polite nod.

"Mr. Anderson." Makoto replied.

Making his way to an unoccupied chair, Mr. Anderson sat down and began looking over several maps on the table before him. "We have fifteen minutes until the briefing and another twenty until we reach our target."

"Yes, sir."

Spending a few moments to study the man who, not only had saved her life on several occasions, but was also her trainer and superior, Makoto still found it hard to understand how so much could happen to her in such a short amount of time. Seeing she still had some time, the brunette relaxed back on the couch and recalled the day her life was turned on its ear.

It had all started about a year ago in Sapporo while she was taking a small vacation. Nearly eleven months had passed since she had graduated from High School and life had moved on for the remaining Senshi. Rei had taken over the duties of Priestess of the Hikawa Shrine, mainly due to the failing health of her grandfather. Minako had moved back to England in pursuit of her singing carrier while Haruka had gotten a corporate sponsor for motorcycle racing and was touring Japan with Michiru, who was periodically performing at various concert halls. Hotaru was in her last year at Juuban Middle School and was being cared for by Setsuna, who had opened a small clothing business. The biggest surprise, however, was Usagi; who had applied for, and was accepted, into a local collage and was currently Majoring in Political Science.

Makoto, however, was the only one who wasn't moving on with her life. Since graduating, she had taken on several small, low wage jobs like short-order cook and night watchmen in order to supplement her income. Unlike the others, Makoto had never _truly_ planned for the future; to her, between everything she had gone through as Sailor Jupiter and the strange gaps in her memory, she couldn't really see a mundane life for herself. Which was why she had decided to take a small vacation out of Tokyo in hopes, perhaps, of finding herself.

After spending a few days touring the city, Makoto had stumbled upon a library and decided to take a look inside; a habit she had devloped since Ami had disappeared. She had started the tradition in hopes of perhaps stumbling across the small, blue-haired girl; figuring that were she to find Ami anywhere it would be in the presence of so many books. However, during the past two years, she had actually come to enjoy the comfortable silence that libraries held; a stillness that was far removed for the constant hustle and bustle of life in a large city. The brunette was enjoying that quiet as she walked through the stacks...until the sharp retort of gunfire shattered the quiet.

A strange detachment settled over Makoto, the same detachment that filled her that day long ago on the playground against the bullies...the same detachment that she felt whenever she was fighting as Sailor Jupiter. Without a second thought, she grabbed her daypack and ran towards the gunfire. Moving down several stacks quickly, she turned a corner and came across several men wearing suits and white masks. Without pausing, Makoto shoulder rammed one of men; one who was caring a book; and the two went sprawling down an aisle while, behind her, one of the bookshelf's seemed to explode as paper when flying everywhere.

As the two of them struggled, Makoto felt as if she was on auto-pilot, as if she was watching her body from far away. It wasn't until days later that she fully comprehended what she did while in that library. Makoto and the unnamed man ended up kneeling on the ground facing each other a few feet apart when he reached into his jacket and pulled out a handgun and aimed at her. Reacting on instinct, the brunette lashed out with her left arm and knocked the gun out of his hand while she snapped out with her right arm and slammed the heel of her hand into his nose; sending cartilage deep into his brain.

Still moving as if in a strange trance, she retrieved the fallen gun and hefted it in her hand as half-forgotten memories flickered through her mind. The detached sensation she felt persisted as the strangely familiar weight of the gun seemed to resonate within her before she picked up the book the man carried and stuffed it into her pack and bolted down the stacks; the gun in her hand. Turning around several corners she came across an emergency exit when two more men wearing white masks stepped out in front of her, guns at the ready. Without pausing, Makoto dropped to her knees, skidded across the paper-strewed floor, and snapped off two shots and saw both of the men's heads snap back.

Leaping back to her feet, Makoto paused for only a moment to gather another handgun that was on the floor ahead of her that a moment ago belonged to one of the men who tried to stop her before she hit the exit door. Without a second thought, she took the stairs up and a moment later found herself on the roof of the library. Running to the edge of the roof, Makoto began looking around for a way down when a sudden sound from behind her attracted her attention.

Spinning around, both guns at the ready, Makoto saw about a half-dozen of the white masked men burst through the stairwell and fan out across the roof. Aiming both of the guns at the men, she heard another sound to her left. Turning, she was quite surprised to see two women appear _through_ the floor of the roof. Keeping one gun trained on the masked men, Makoto pointed the other on the two women. One of the women had shoulder length purplish-black hair and was wearing a tight leather outfit and was armed with two Uzi's; one of which was pointed at her while the other was aimed at the masked men. The other, however, looked quite different, what with her long brown hair, glasses, and clothing more suited for a librarian than anything else...although Makoto did note that it was odd that instead of a weapon, she had several pieces of paper clutched in her hands.

"Now, now...this is _quite_ interesting, isn't it?" the woman with the Uzi's said with an almost casual air.

"The book belongs to the Soldats! Return it now!" one of the masked men demanded while the others hefted their weapons.

As soon as the man said the word 'Soldats' the detachment that Makoto had been feeling grew worse as a tide of shadowy, half formed memories crashed around her.

"And what's your deal, kid?" the same woman asked, although Makoto barely heard her. "Who are you?"

With that last question, everything seemed to spin for the brunette as she struggled to answer.

_'I am Makoto Kino. I am Princess Jupiter. I am the Senshi of Thunder, Sailor Jupiter. I am...I am...I am...'_

"I am...Noir..."

And the world exploded...

When she awoke, Makoto found herself in a strange room. The furnishings were Western in design, with a large, plush four-post bed and large bookcases covering every wall. Discovering that she was nearly naked, she quickly located her clothing and crept out of the room, that same detached feeling coming over her along with something else; something her mind seemed to shy away from. Making her way out of the room and down a series of halls, the brunette soon found herself in what seemed to be a quiet sitting room and face to face with two...interesting individuals.

The first was a stocky American man with blonde hair that appraised her with hard eyes; however, it was the other person that captivated her full attention. He was old, very old; he was sitting in a wheelchair and there was a strange, metal worked patch over one eye. Yet, for the air of frailty his body gave, there was an intensity that about him that was undeniable. Focusing his one good eye on Makoto, he thanked her for her assistance and introduced himself as 'Gentleman'.

Makoto soon found herself drawn into a conversation with Gentleman, who was able to answer many of those questions about her past that had plagued her for so long; and raised many new questions for her. First of all, she learned that she had been unconscious for four days after the display she had given on top of the library; and what a display it was, what with the lightning that had coursed off her body destroying the roof that she was on. She was also told that Gentleman, who was the head of something called the British Library Special Engineer Force; had sent two of his agents to recover a book from that library. When they arrived, they were met with force by a group calling themselves the Soldats, a group that Gentleman felt that Makoto was intimately familiar with.

Gentleman went on to spin a fantastic tale about a group of people who, over a thousand years ago, banded together in order to shape the world into their image. This group, the Soldats, were guided by a pair of females who would act as judge, jury, and executioner and would exercise the will of the Soldats. They were both guardians and assassins; the name of that the two women were know as was Noir.

As much as Makoto wanted to discount Gentleman's tale as nothing more than an old man's delusion, she could not; for there was something deep within her that resonated with each word. He spoke of someone called 'Altena' who tried to bring about something called 'Le Grand Retour'; which, had it succeeded, would have brought the Soldats one step closer to their goal. Gentleman told her about how, in order for Le Grand Retour to be brought about, two woman must be called forth and named the True Noir after a variety of trials.

Gentleman suspected that Makoto was one of those young women who were trained to be Noir, but she was discarded in favor of others. There were also other things that the brunette suspected that the old man knew, such as her being Sailor Jupiter; yet he never came out and said so. Hearing that she had manifested her powers without being transformed surprised her, however that information took a back seat to the knowledge that her entire life was apparently a lie and that she was molded from an early age to be a killer without mercy.

Eventually, Makoto was told that she was free to go and was escorted by the American; who's name she learned was Drake Anderson; back to her small apartment in Juuban. That night, sitting in her darken home, the brunette thought about the events of the past few days. She wanted to forget everything Gentleman had said, but there were things about herself that she couldn't deny; things that couldn't be explained by anything else. She could remember vividly the three men that she killed in that library and she didn't know what disturbed her more; the fact she had taken their lives so easly and effortlessly or that she didn't feel any remorse about it. Sure, she had killed creatures as Sailor Jupiter, but they were unnatural things; not living, breathing humans.

Eventually, Makoto moved over to the locked drawer and, unlocking it, removed its contents. The first item was a pocket-watch that had a depiction of two kneeling women holding swords engraved on its lid. Opening the lid of the watch, she listened to the haunting melody it played. As the soft music filled the air, Makoto reached into the drawer and removed the remaining items; a box of bullets and a .9mm Beretta.

Her hands seeming to move of their own accord, the brunette watched as she disassembled the Beretta with a familiar ease. With a practiced eye, she inspected each part before she reassembled the gun and, after loading the clip, she held it in her hand. As much as she wished to refuse the apparent truth, the fact remained that the gun felt natural to her...as if it she were holding a part of her very soul in her hands. Finally, after a deep breath, she picked up the watch and pocketed both it and the Beretta and decided to go and talk to Setsuna; if anyone knew what was going on, she would. It was then that she noticed the late hour and deciding to wait until morning. Makoto was about to head to bed when she heard a loud noise coming from her front door.

And that was when all hell broke loose.

Truth be told; Makoto couldn't remember a fraction of the events of that evening. She could recall the three armed men wearing white masks who forced their way into her apartment, guns at the ready; and a moment later Mr. Anderson bursting in through the living room window. The rest of the evening was a blur as she and the American engaged in a running gunfight that ranged through the streets and back alleys of the Tokyo area. Eventually, the night cumulated in a deserted park where she not only came face to face with a high ranking member of the Soldats; a man by the name of Mr. Breffort; but also meeting the two women who were known as the True Noir.

In the end, it became apparent that there was a faction of the Soldats that wished to bring about another Le Grand Retour. However, the highest-ranking members of the organization wished to have nothing to with it and would not sanction any actions against Makoto. However, things were tense for a few moments when the youngest of the True Noir; a small, Japanese woman with hooded eyes; compared Makoto to her and her companion; along with someone named 'Chloe'; and how Makoto shouldn't be a loud to live because she was just like them. The other woman; a tall blonde with a French accent, grimaced at the mention of Chloe before saying that that was _exactly_ why Makoto should be left alone.

While some of the things they were talking about Makoto didn't know or understand, the underlining threat was still quite obvious to her. That treat was made even more apparent when the blonde woman bid Makoto goodbye and said that she hoped that they never met again. It was then that Mr. Breffort left as well; again saying that the Council Members of the Soldats would not take any action against Makoto. The night was not over, however, for that was when Mr. Anderson had an...interesting offer for the brunette.

A sudden noise startled Makoto out of her musings of the past as her hand slipped into her jacket and she grasped the handle of her Beretta holstered there as she sat up. Looking around, she saw another one of her current companions stepping _through _the door backwards. A moment later, Miss Deep; or Nancy, as she preferred; finished phasing through the wood holding an open book extended in front of her. As soon as she was inside, a muffled _thump_ was heard before the door opened to admit the last of her teammates.

"Nancy-san..." Yomiko Readman, also known as The Paper, said, rubbing her nose. "That was mean."

Smirking, Nancy sauntered over to the empty couch and sat down before waving the book in Yomiko's direction. Like a moth to a flame, Yomiko moved after the offered book; nearly stumbling over the table Mr. Anderson was working on. Arriving at the couch, she snatched the book from Nancy's hands and collapsed onto the couch, holding the book possessively.

Pausing to make sure that Yomiko wasn't about open the book and become lost in it's pages, Mr. Anderson began to speak. "As you know, we'll be arriving in Ankara in approximately thirty minutes. Are objective it to recover a copy of the Dead Sea Scrolls that is believed to be kept in a small mosque there. We are expecting no resistance in recovering the Scrolls; however, there has been some movement by an origination known as Seele who is attempting to recover the Scrolls for their own use."

As Mr. Anderson continued with the briefing, Makoto couldn't help but wonder about the path her life had taken after that night in the park. Since then, she had begun training as a field agent for the British Library Special Engineer Force under direct supervision of Mr. Anderson. As far as Rei and the others knew, Makoto was working as a library assistant who specialized in the procurement of rare books...which wasn't far from the truth. They had teased her relentlessly about her job, which she took in stride; after all, what they didn't know couldn't hurt them.

The time she had spent with Mr. Anderson and the others had helped her tremendously. While she still hadn't fully adjusted to the truth about her past, she had come to accept it. The training also had an interesting benefit of Makoto learning to use her abilities as the Senshi of Thunder without having to transforming into Sailor Jupiter. While she was nowhere near as powerful without her transformation, she _was_ able to create electrical charges that were strong enough to knock out a person or disable an electronic security system.

Even though the job was difficult, it did come with perks; such as the month long vacation she was scheduled to begin once this mission was over; unless something when completely wrong. Which was perfect timing, as Minako was suppose to be back in Japan for a visit and Usagi would be on break from college. With everything she had been through the past year, it would be good to do something mindless and non-life-threatening like watching the King of Fighters Tournament.

It's just too bad that she wouldn't be able to see Ami...unless she miraculously showed up.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Honestly, this is still a little rough, but I wanted to get it out sooner than later (or I would end up sitting on it for a long time).

If you're thinking to yourself _"He left a _lot_ out!"_ that's because I did. In order for me to stay in the form that I wanted, I had to skip over a lot of stuff. But don't worry, I have another Interlude that will cover much of the 'missing' sections.

How far will I take this? Well, you'll just have to wait and see...


End file.
